Code of code of hammurabi

Writing a proposal is one of the most important skills you need to develop, not only to be a successful student, but for many future careers. Proposals persuade people to allow you to do something, and successful proposals can lead to significant financial rewards. (Alas, not in this class) Formats may vary (for this class the proposal is 1 page only, double-spaced, paragraph format with proper indentations), but you should always be sure to include the following: 1. A concise statement about what you plan to do. (“I plan to write a book about housework in New England;” or “I am developing an exhibition based on artifacts used in the seventeenth century exploration of the Mississippi River Valley.”) Include a title. 2. A working hypothesis. (“It is my working hypothesis that women’s housework became more burdensome at the same time it was devalued in the early nineteenth century.”) 3. A description of your data. (“I will draw on diaries located at the Library of Congress. This is a particularly rich collection because…”) 4. Your methodology- how you will prove your point. (“My approach will combine quantitative techniques with literary analysis.You will statistically analyze…) 5. What your finished product will look like. (“My argument will develop in five chapters. In chapter one, describe how housework was done.” Or “My essay will be divided into three sections and will be 30 pages in length.”) 6. Why people should care about this project. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. (“Scholars who have approached women’s work until now have assumed that industrialization eased women’s housework. Jane Jones, for example, has argued…In addition to these scholarly debates, we face larger policy issues about housework in the late twentieth century….”) The two groups you should refer to here are the scholarly community at large (such as the American History scholarly community) and perhaps the general public. It is not appropriate to try to make your case by telling us that the project is personally meaningful to you, your family, etc. 7. How and why you became interested in this project (try to keep this scholarly.) 8. Your timetable for completion. 9. A few anecdotes are often useful if you have the space.